Currently, computer systems or networks are designed to provide power management functions. Namely, as computer systems or networks continue to proliferate in commercial and residential settings, it has been observed that many of these computer systems or networks are often idle, i.e., waiting for instructions from a user or other devices. To reduce the consumption of energy, power management functions are provided so that a user can define a parameter, e.g., a time duration, where a computer system will enter a power management state or sleep mode to conserve energy.
To address this issue, the Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) specification was developed to establish industry common interfaces that allow operating system-directed configuration and power management. One goal of ACPI is to unify power management in the operating system of the computer, thereby allowing inexpensive power managed hardware to support very elaborate power management policies.
Although centralizing power management in the OS may provide some advantages, it also creates disadvantages as computing devices are increasingly deployed in a network environment, especially where real-time responses are prized. For example, computers in a home environment can be networked in such a manner that resources in each computer can be shared, e.g., a host computer having a large storage device having a plurality of stored video and/or streams or a host computer having a DVD drive. To access the stored video and/or streams or the DVD drive, a remote computer must communicate its request to the OS of the host computer. Unfortunately, if the host computer has been turned “on” for some time, the power management functions of the OS would likely have placed the system in a power saving state. In order to service the request of the remote computer, the host computer must be revived or awaken to an operating state which may require a substantial amount of time.
Therefore, a need exists for a novel decoupled power management approach that provides a computer system or network, with one or more alternate power management states that allow resources of a host system to remain operational while the operating system (OS) is in a sleep mode or state.